As a resident of Huntsville, I feel compelled to raise awareness about a recurring issue that affects drivers in our community. For months, I’ve noticed Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers conducting frequent speed enforcement in a specific area along Highway 60 at the District Water Treatment Plant, where the speed limit abruptly transitions from 80 km/h to 70 km/h on a downhill stretch of road.
While I fully support efforts to promote road safety, the methods and frequency of enforcement at this location raise serious concerns. The OPP has been stationed here as often as three to four times per week, targeting drivers who are often traveling at 85 km/h in a 70 km/h zone—a minor infraction given the challenging conditions of the area. To make matters worse, officers are using unmarked vehicles parked sideways, hidden from sight, making it nearly impossible for drivers to anticipate their presence.
This practice feels less like a safety initiative and more like a strategy for revenue generation. The natural difficulty of slowing down on a downhill grade, combined with the abrupt change in speed limit and the lack of adequate warning signs, makes this location problematic for many drivers, including those who might otherwise drive responsibly.
Such tactics not only undermine the trust drivers place in law enforcement but also shift the focus from promoting road safety to punitive measures. This kind of enforcement creates the perception of entrapment rather than fostering safer driving habits.
As members of this community, we should be asking whether these efforts genuinely improve safety or if they simply exploit a challenging road design to issue tickets. Would better signage, more gradual speed transitions, or enforcement in areas with greater safety risks not be a better use of resources?
I urge local residents and officials to consider these questions and push for changes to enforcement strategies in this area. Public safety is paramount, but it must be achieved through fair and transparent practices, not by targeting unsuspecting drivers navigating an inherently tricky stretch of road.
Let’s start a conversation about this issue and work towards solutions that prioritize safety and fairness for all road users.
Sincerely,
Matthew Fuller
Huntsville
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Cars have brakes. It’s pretty simple to slow down on a down hill. And there is no way that they are stopping people going 15 over! That may be what your ticket says, but you were lucky and the officer gave you a break by reducing your ticket.
Don’t speed, the reason the OPP are there is due to the constant abuse of the posted limit.
There is no excuse for speeding.
I only wish they would spend as much time out on Highway 11 nd Highway 141 in Utterson.